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their metropolitan, and refided much at Ephefus, which is therefore named the first of the feven. The main fubjects too of this book are comprised in sevens, feven churches, seven seals, seven trumpets, and feven vials; as feven was also a mystical number throughout the Old Teftament. Many contend, and among them fuch learned men as. More and Vitringa, that the feven epiftles are prophetical of fo many fucceffive periods and ftates of the church from the beginning to the conclufion of all. But it doth not appear, that there are or were to be feven periods of the church, neither more nor lefs; and no two men can agree in affigning the fame periods. There are likewife in these epiftles feveral innate characters, which are peculiar to the church of that age, and cannot be fo well applied to the church of any other age. Befides other arguments, there is also this plain reafon; the laft ftate of the church is defcribed in this very book as the moft glofious of all, but in the last state in these epistles, that of Laodicea, the church is reprefented as wretched, and miferable, and poor, and blind, and naked.

But tho' these epiftles have rather a litteral than a mystical meaning, yet they contain excellent moral precepts and exhortations, com

mendations

mendations and reproofs, promises and threatnings, which may be of ufe and inftruction to the church in all ages. The form and order of the parts you will find the same almost in all the epiftles; firft a command to write; then fome character and attributes of the fpeaker, taken from the vifion in the first chapter, and appropriated to the, matter of each epistle; then commendations or reproofs with fuitable promises or threatenings; and then in all the fame conclufion, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit faith unto the churches. What therefore the Spirit faith unto one church, he faith in fome measure to all the churches. The church of Ephefus in particular is admonished to repent, and forewarned that if fhe would not repent, her candlestick should be removed out of his place. But this admonition belonged equally to

all the churches: and hath not their candlestick been accordingly removed out of its place, and the light of the gospel taken from them? Were they not ruined and overthrown by their herefies and divifions from within, and by the arms of the Saracens from without? and doth not Mohammedism still prevail and profper in those countries, which were once the glory of Chriftendom, their churches turned into mofques, their worship into fuperftition? Ephefus in particular,

(2) which was once fo magnificent and glorious! a city, is become a mean fordid village, with fcarcely a fingle family of Chriftians dwelling in it, as approved authors teftify. To the church of Smyrna it is predicted, that the fhould have tribulation ten days, or ten years according to the ufual ftile of prophecy and the greatest perfecution that the primitive church ever indured was the perfecution of Diocletian, which lafted (3) ten years, and grievously afflicted all the Afian, and indeed all the eastern churches." This character can agree to none of the other general perfecutions, for none of the others lafted (4) fo long as ten years. As the commendatory and reproving part of these epiftles exhibits the prefent ftate of the churches, fo the promiffory and threatning part foretels fome thing of their future condition; and in this fense, and in none other, can thefe epiftles bé faid to be prophetical.

The first epiftle is addreffed to the church of

(2) Hodie enim hæc urbs Afianæ olim magnificentiæ exemplum, plane fordet, cafulis & gurguftiis deformata, non civitas, fed vicus: et vix ibidem fupereft una Chriftianorum familia, ut ex certis conftat teftibus, iifdemque eruditis viris, qui hodiernam Ephefum de

Ephefus,

fcripferunt, Smitho(Notit.Sept. Ecclef. Af. p. 4.) et Ricaultio. (de Stat. Eccl. Græc. p. 50.) Vitring. p. 73, 74.

(3) Eufeb. Ecclef. Hift. Lib. 8. Cap. 15, & 16. Lactant de Mort. Perfecut. Cap. 48,

(4) Quæ perfecutio omnibus fere ante a&tisdiuturnior---Nam

per

Ephesus, as it was the metropolis of the Lydian Afia, and the place of St. John's principal refidence. It was, according to (5) Strabo, one of the best and most glorious cities, and the greatest emporium of the proper Afia. It is called by Pliny (6) one of the eyes of Afia, Smyrna being the other: but now, as eye-witnesses (7) have related, it is venerable for nothing but the ruins of palaces, temples, and amphitheaters. It is called by the Turks Ajafaluk, or the temple of the moon, from the magnificent ftructure formerly dedicated to Diana. The church of St. Paul is wholly destroyed. The little which remains of that of St. Mark is nodding to ruin. The only church remaining is that dedicated to St. John, which is now converted into a Turkish mofque. The whole town is nothing but a habitation of herdsmen and farmers, living in low and humble cottages of dirt, fheltered from the extremities of weather by mighty maffes of ruinous walls; the pride and

per decem annos &c. Oros. Lib. 7. Cap. 25. p. 528. Edit. Havercamp.

(5) Strabo Lib. 14. p. 634. Edit. Paris. p. 941. Edit. Amtel. 1707. Lib. 12. p. 577. Edit. Paris. p. 865. Edit. Amtel. 1707.

(6) Plin. Nat. Hift. Lib. 5.

often

Cap. 31. p. 280. Edit. Harduin.

(7) Smith Sept. Afiæ Ecclef. Notit. Rycaut's Prefent State of the Greek Church. Chap. 2. Wheler and Spon's Voyage, B.3. Van Egmont's and Heyman's Travels. Vol. 1. Chap. 9.

(8) Smith,

oftentation of former days, and the emblem in thefe, of the frailty of the world, and the tranfient vanity of human glory. All the int habitants of this once famous city amount not now to above forty or fifty families of Turks, without one Christian family among them: fo ftrikingly hath the denunciation been fulfilled, that their candlestick should be removed out of his place.

Smyrna was the nearest city to Ephesus, and for that reafon probably was addressed in the fecond place. It is fituated (8) on lower ground than the ancient city, and lieth about forty-five miles northward of Ephefus. It is called Efmir by the Turks, and is celebrated not so much for the fplendor and pomp of the buildings (for they are rather mean and ruinous) as for the number, and wealth, and commerce of the inhabitants. The Turks have here fifteen mofques, and the Jews feveral fynagogues. Among thefe enemies of the chriftian name the christian religion alfo florishes in fome degree. Smyrna ftill retains the dignity of a metropolis, altho' there are only two churches of the Greeks. But befides them, here is a great number of Chriftians of all nations, fects, and languages.

The

(8) Smith, Rycaut, Wheler and Spon ibid. Van Egmont's and Heyman's Travels. Chap. 8. (9) Smith,

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